Its natural population is likely to shrink by up to 50% or more by 2088 because of climate change alone, according to the research.

Wild Arabica is used to supply seeds for coffee farming and also as a harvested crop in its own right.

Ethiopia is the home of Arabica coffee, where it grows naturally in upland rainforests.

“Given the importance of Arabica coffee to Ethiopia, and to the world, we need to do our utmost to understand the risks facing its survival in the wild,” said Dr Tadesse Woldemariam Gole, of the Environment and Coffee Forest Forum in Addis Ababa.

What is wild coffee and why do we need it?

Many coffee drinkers are unaware that we only use the coffee beans from two species – Coffea Arabica and Coffea robusta – in the thousands of different blends of coffee on sale.

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Coffee comes in many blends, but relies on two species

In fact, there are 122 coffee species on top of that which occur naturally in the wild.

Many of these wild coffees do not taste good to drink, but may contain genes that can be harnessed to help coffee plants survive in the future, amid climate change and emerging diseases that attack coffee trees.

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In the longer term, we will need to call on wild species to safeguard the future of the world’s coffee crop, say researchers.

“We will call on those wild resources time and time again,” said Dr Davis.

How does coffee compare to other plants in terms of extinction risks?

Globally, about one in five plants is threatened with extinction, compared with 60% for coffee.

As a comparison, about half of wild tea and mango species are threatened with extinction, 6% of hazelnuts and 9% of pistachios.

Where is wild coffee found?

The vast majority of wild coffee grows in the remote forests of Africa and on the island of Madagascar. Beyond Africa, wild coffee is found in other tropical climates, including parts of India, Sri Lanka, and Australia.